Australian Residential Garden Award Finalists Showcased in Guardian Photo Gallery
On 4 October 2026, a photo gallery by The Guardian highlights the finalists for an Australian residential garden award, featuring entries from New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland. Among the distinguished projects are Saddleback Mountain Farmstead (NSW) by Bates Holmes, Surry Hills Village (NSW) by Aspect Studios, Wildwood (WA) by Svalbe and Co, and Saltbush on the Bellarine (Victoria) by Phillip Withers. Additional finalists include Greybox (NSW) by Emily Simpson, Bermagui (NSW) by Kelly Royle, Erindale (Victoria) by Saint Remy, and The Winter Garden (Victoria) by Timothy Mitchell, along with Heartbeat House (Victoria), Thora Property (NSW), and others.
Key facts
- The gallery was published by The Guardian on 4 October 2026
- Projects span New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland
- Saddleback Mountain Farmstead by Bates Holmes uses a ha-ha wall with a low sunken ditch
- Surry Hills Village by Aspect Studios, SJB and Studio Prineas planted tulipwood to reduce urban heat
- Wildwood by Svalbe and Co features a thyme carpet that releases a calming aroma when walked on
- Saltbush on the Bellarine by Phillip Withers was relocated from an award-winning exhibition garden to east Geelong
- The Winter Garden by Timothy Mitchell Landscape Architecture reuses a 40-year-old tennis court slab with a carbon debt of about 30 tonnes of CO2
- Thora Property by Bede Brennan and Garden Juju involved Gumbaynggirr Elders over five years on a 65-hectare degraded farm
- Bridgewater Bushland Retreat by Good Batch Co plants only 74% of the landscape, the rest gravel pathways
- Kauri Lane by Aspect Studios and RPS places 12 mature Kauri pines in a 15-metre gap between four residential towers
Entities
Artists
- Bates Holmes
- Phillip Withers
- Emily Simpson
- Kelly Royle
- Timothy Mitchell
- Bede Brennan
- Simon Ellis
- Virginia Kennett
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Zella Casey Brown
- Tom Roe
- Peggy Voir
- Madeleine Burke
- Katherine Lu
- Jack Mounsey
- Martina Gemmola
- Ann-Maree Winter
- Samuel Harrison
- Tim Allen
- Bianca Kate
- Anthony Besheer
- Anthony Basheer
- Hamish McIntosh
- Lachlan Kain
- Felix Mooneram
- Jessie Ann
- Nathan Stolz
- Yan Chen
- Traianos Pakioufakis
Institutions
- Bates Holmes
- Aspect Studios
- SJB
- Studio Prineas
- Svalbe and Co
- Phillip Withers
- Emily Simpson Landscape Architecture
- Kelly Royle Landscape Architecture
- Saint Remy
- Timothy Mitchell Landscape Architecture
- Garden Juju
- Simon Ellis Landscape Architects
- Good Batch Co
- Landskap
- Bushy Landscapes
- EBLA Studio
- Virginia Kennett Garden Design
- SKL Gardens
- RPS
- Jala
- The Guardian
Locations
- Australia
- New South Wales
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- South Australia
- Queensland
- Saddleback Mountain
- Surry Hills
- Geelong
- Bellarine peninsula
- Bermagui
- Sydney
- Adelaide Hills
- Adelaide
- Thora
- Bridgewater
- Bronte